Top 10 Reason Linux Sucks

[uid(zer0)]

There are a lot of games on Linux. And there are allmost all mostplaying games like q3, UT more. And the only reason why not all games are ported to Linux is that this this OS never was a desktop OS. But situation is changing. Now Linux is everywhere. And the more of you will use Linux the more games will be ported to it.

[chefer]

If they had issues w/ Linux, lets get them a copy of FreeBSD. I'm a FreeBSD fan, but it's not without it's issues and incompatabilities. I think it's great that the guy admits he is a Linux enthusiast but that it's not without it's faults. Pushing to get those faults updated is a good thing. Bug reports and the like accomplish a lot, but it is reassuring to read someone else's complaints about the same type of thing.

There are a lot of games on Linux. And there are allmost all mostplaying games like q3, UT more. And the only reason why not all games are ported to Linux is that this this OS never was a desktop OS. But situation is changing. Now Linux is everywhere. And the more of you will use Linux the more games will be ported to it.

You don't really have to wait for the games to be ported to Linux any more. There is direct X support for *nix systems. Check it out : http://www.transgaming.com

Regards.

[khakisrule]

4. Make it easy for the user to find out how to do things

It's hard for the new user to work out how to perform tasks with Linux, and searching the web is a long and arduous process.

"Linux comes with a wealth of applications and toys that could keep the user busy for years without ever downloading or purchasing any additional software. Let's make this obvious," said Wiggins.

MAN pages are a holy grail of information. They are ten times more helpful and useful than anything you will find in windows help. With windows you have to click 4 links just to read all the information on a specific subject, take it from somebody who was confused when he first got XP professional.

2. Prompting for a filesystem scan

"Bad on the desktop, killer on the server." When a system has an unclean shutdown, the reboot process is hampered by a filesystem scan that typically demands the user to answer a bunch of cryptic questions, such as whether to fix deleted inodes. "The system should just fix the filesystem ... and get on with booting," said Wiggins.

That really IS bs. I mean, would you rather that by mistake or by some virus delete all your files? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. And even windows does that, because you don't want to be responsible for the OS that deletes all the files are an unclean shutdown.

6. Die, stray processes. Die!

In Linux you have to exit to a console and start running the 'killall' command, but this is lame for non-technical users. When an application has no windows open, the windows manager should attempt to kill its processes.

Um, have you never heard of background processes? Useful and they stay out of your way, plus with linux you can use them effiently and without using all your memory. That is also bs.
And as for all those drivers and sound support and x-windows configuration, most newer distros are able to find the correct drivers and are able to use generic drivers. And with the newer distros installation issues like that are easily resolved, for example, I recently found a troubleshooting manager for my red hat distro. With all these reasons it is obvious that this person has never touched a linux box in his life. Either that or he tried it and started crying and gave up because he couldn't figure out the power of the command line.

[Terr]

Hmmmm...

Well, for one thing, X-windows is creepy. I personally find it very strange to see a nice open port due to running X-windows. I'm aware that by default (usuall) nobody else can connect to you unless you use +xhostall or some option like that...but still... It would be nice of there was a single-computer-non-networkable-possibly-faster version of it.

MAN pages tend to be quite skimpy on summaries. And I think xman should be default with all distros... I don't want to have to use KDE's kludgy help interface or use the command line for scrolling and copypasting.

Linux is still far too programmer and server oriented to work well as a desktop. That, and it doesn't run many of my games natively, and I don't want to spend half my expected lifetime just getting WINE to work right with my hardware... hell, I have yet to get my old sound card working. (Very Long Story.) Anything that involves recompiling the kernel means it won't work for Mr. Average.

[Palemoon]

I have 10 problems with what is said:
1. You cannot order a desktop, laptop etc PC from any MFG and have a choice in OS
2. Even if you do not want Win what ever you still pay them no discount for a system with no OS.
3. Mfg have no choice to offer any other OS because they deal with M$
4. Computer hardware/ softeware has enjoyed a free ride from not being included in Consumer laws.
5. While a remedy is still not worked out MS was found guilty.
6. To understand EULA's you have to hire an attorney.
7. Non-disclosure by MS of known flaws and illegal bundling and purchase of technology in an unregulated industry.
8. MS corp Theft of public funded technology through purchase or license.
9. Computer users are not morons and diserve a better GUI the XP.
10. Bill cannot code he is a business man that can buy any technology except Linux.

[zaddikim]

In response to Palemoon...

>1. You cannot order a desktop, laptop etc PC from any MFG and have a choice in OS

Of all businesses, Wal-Mart ( in the US, mind you) is now in the business of selling computers either
without an OS, or with Lindows.
as for the second point, (still paying for an OS that you don't want), Walmart is not applying the M$ tax to
the above-mentioned computers.
I am by no means an advocate for Wal-mart consumer electronics. However, I am attempting to point out
that it's not just Big Boys (Server / Big Iron type stuff) that are jumping on the bandwagon.
Retailers finally seem to be realizing that the general public wants a choice of operating systems
when they buy a box to twiddle around with. If you check it out, You'll find that they're offering
very decent prices for middle-of-the-road horsepower.
(cool avatar BTW).



post flamage to /dev/null

[smirc]

1. No 'best' browser

Although there are lots of good browser choices, there is "no one reasonable default choice that can be made available to users", he said, adding that Konqueror only enjoys popularity because it's the default for the KDE desktop. "Ironically, the same reason that Internet Explorer enjoys such success on Windows."

Problems across the board for most browsers include show stopping bugs, poor font support and, in Mozilla's case, lack of desktop integration.

Microsoft, if you remember, got into some trouble for supplying "default" software with their OS. Something about a monopoly if I remember correctly . I don't see being able to choose your browser as a problem.

2. Prompting for a filesystem scan

"Bad on the desktop, killer on the server." When a system has an unclean shutdown, the reboot process is hampered by a filesystem scan that typically demands the user to answer a bunch of cryptic questions, such as whether to fix deleted inodes. "The system should just fix the filesystem ... and get on with booting," said Wiggins.

If you're running a server of any importance and you don't know a little about filesystem problems and how to recover from them, you shouldn't be running a server of any importance. I would hate the system to just go ahead and fix (erase?) data on a server i was in charge of. Give me flexibility and control over ease of use any time.

3. Printing needs to be easier to configure

Linux often forces the user to choose between drivers, but Wiggins pointed out that "the user doesn't care what driver they use. They just want to be able to print at the maximum speed and quality possible."

I don't know about this. It took me the same amout of time to set up my Win2k box for network printing as it did my Redhat box. Go figure. I think both OSs have problems with printing.

4. Make it easy for the user to find out how to do things

It's hard for the new user to work out how to perform tasks with Linux, and searching the web is a long and arduous process.

"Linux comes with a wealth of applications and toys that could keep the user busy for years without ever downloading or purchasing any additional software. Let's make this obvious," said Wiggins.

man <thing>

How hard is it? Yes you might have to read something but that's the way its got to be until the kernel comes complete with a spoon_feed module.

5. Cleaner redraws

Slow or flickery window updates. "I have only ever seen one operating system do it right, and that's Mac OSX." Wiggins even said that "the latest version of Windows is not bad".

"This isn't a speed issue, really; it's a how-you-update-the-screen issue," he added.

OK, this is a vaild point. X still has some GUI issues to sort out.

6. Die, stray processes. Die!

In Linux you have to exit to a console and start running the 'killall' command, but this is lame for non-technical users. When an application has no windows open, the windows manager should attempt to kill its processes.

Having to kill processes manually isn't a problem for me. It's when processes crash unexpectedly that I get the shits.

7. Easy way of sharing files

Ideally a right-click on a directory and choosing 'share this directory', would work, although Wiggins explained that network file sharing is easy to set up if you know what you're doing. "If you don't know the magic keywords to add to server and client, you're pretty much screwed," he said.

What's wrong with FTP? You can even get cute GUI interfaces nowadays. Give me flexibilty and control (and security?) of ease of use. File sharing is a big potential security risk. Users should know what they're doing.

8. Sound support

"The Open Sound System was great a few years ago and continues to offer support for modern cards, but it is commercial and it is showing its age," he said. This will be improved when the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture makes it into the mainstream.

Obviously efforts are being made to solve this ie. Advanced Linux Sound Architecture. Windows has plenty of sound driver issues of its own.

9. No common editor which supports 'soft wrapping'

Problems remain with word wrapping, where you can go back and edit a line and the rest of the paragraph will reformat itself automatically. Many text editors only support hard wrapping.

No common software. Can you say "monopoly"? But I do concede that MS Word wins hands down in the WP department IMHO. It's been around for a while and MS has had the chance to develop a decent product for once.

10. No easy way to configure X Windows

This can be especially annoying when you want to change resolution on the fly. "This is, I believe, the longest running embarrassment of the free software desktop," said Wiggins.

Wiggins's full critique of the Linux OS can be found here, along with a top list of things that have been fixed.

This is a major problem. The main reason Windows still is way more popular than Linux is GUIs. MS has spent millions on designing GUIs that people can really relate to and interface with easily. Open source has some catching up to do here.

[uid(zer0)]

About the browsers. Who said there is no best browser in Linux?! He was right. There is two best browsers (if you use Gnome). For Gnome best are Mozilla 1.0 and Galeon (using mozilla's engine). They are best browsers I've ever used. Even at Windows I use Mozilla, because it displays pages better than Opera and it crashes only few times a week (I'm allways working with ~10 tabs). In my opinion Mozilla 1.0 the best browser (I don't know how about KDE).

[Palemoon]

Like any ligit professional buys from Wal-Mart, business level have less choices, consumers well that marketing stuff.

[protocool]

it's good to be back?!

once again, commenting such thing is a healthy idea...

1. They say that 'Linux' has no good browser...

a. Netscape -- Supported through linux (Invented Java Sript)
b. Konqueror -- (For KDE) Much more fun to use with...
c. Lynx -- Entirely cool and faster Browser (If you don't want to load those
graphical pictures)... Best in using research.

2. No "Sound Support"

a. How come there is no Sound Support on Kernel 2.4